Chapter 2: Parallel time

With a 'ting' sound, the elevator door opened and inside, a pair of well-groomed men stepped out from it. One wearing a black suit with white inner garment while the other is wearing an all-black attire matching it with a long roll overcoat, fixing his necktie again and again.

"You're having trouble on that tie of yours?"

"It's just a habit I have when stepping out a door." The guy wearing an overcoat said with a smile on his face.

"Are we supposed to stop the explosion first or catch that guy who's after your life?" he added

The two continued to walk on the corridor until they reach a certain room on the seventh floor and stopped in front of a door.

"Oh, so it is the explosion first."

"Laplace, do you know why that person is after my life?" June asked while pulling out something inside his suit and kneeled on the door knob.

"Maybe, maybe not… Or I just don't care. Beats me actually." He replied staring at June as he picks the lock.

A few seconds has passed and a 'click' sound was heard coming from the door.

"They should really change the locks of their rooms. A card lock perhaps." Laplace said as the door opens thoroughly with a slight push from June.

The two went inside the room then Laplace walks straight to a near window and gazed upon the bright city lights. On the other hand after locking the door, June started to search the room on his free will.

"The guest staying in this room will be unpleased from what you are doing." Said Laplace, looking at June while he search on every corner, scattering almost everything.

"Bingo!" he said after opening a large suitcase.

Laplace took a peek on the contents of the bag and smiled for no reason.

"That is a lot of C4 explosives." He said still having that grin on his face.

"And I don't think that is just the only bag." He added, pointing to the couch on the side of the room.

June turns his gaze to that direction and saw a pair of suitcases with the same dimensions as the one he opened behind the couch Laplace is pointing.

June opened the suitcases and found out that both of the suitcases are filled with plastic explosives that are already wire, and by the looks of it, it can be detonated by a remote trigger.

"The guy that brought this thing here sure is a lunatic." Laplace said

"If that thing explodes while we are in here, we will definitely be ground meat." He added

June, getting the hang of his sense of humor just ignored him and immediately took out his phone and started dialing.

'God if this thing explodes, this whole floor will crumble.' June thought as he stares at the explosives on the bags.

'Wait! Back at that time, the floor was just on fire. If it was caused by this explosives, this floor would definitely cave-in! Which means…'

"Laplace, can I ask you something?" June said seriously while still looking at the bags.

"What is it?" he replied

"That time, on the future…" he said expressing his words thoroughly.

"I didn't remember that the explosion was that devastating." He added looking at Laplace with malice

"And? By that you mean?" Probing June on what he just realized.

"Don't play dumb!" angered, June raised from where he is currently squatting, standing firm and straight. Now facing each other he continue his inquiry.

"If 'that' explosion was caused by these bombs, I might have died back then! Me and my assailant!" June added, explaining the fact that this couldn't be relevant to the settings before.

"Well, what do you know, you just realized something." Laplace said, giving off an eerie presence as he walked pass June.

"What do you mean?" having a horrified tone in his voice, June turn around to have a better look on him.

"When we retuned in time, it doesn't mean that we retuned back to 'that' time." He said still not turning around to face June.

June, still not getting what he means stood there dumbfounded.

"When I reverted back the time, we didn't returned to the timeline that a minor explosion occurred." Laplace said turning around to face June, showing a grin like he just lost his sanity.

"Because that instance can't be changed, it is meant to happen, it is a fixed outcome. It is final!" He said with an insane look on his face and a very crazy way on uttering each word almost like he is laughing while saying it.

"Hence, I rewind the time and brought you to another probability that has a different branching outcomes from the latter." He said but now his way of saying it returns to normal while fixing his tie.

"To make it simple, it is like playing a game that gives you multiple options on each scenario. Each option leads to another different turning points, no option has the same outcome and each can lead you to multiple endings." He added

"But the difference from a game and in real life is that there is no 'save button' that can save your progress and return at that point unlike that of a game." Said Laplace, walking closer to June.

"In a game, when you don't like the ending you have, you can just load it then choose other responses again and again until you achieve your desired finale." He continued.

"But sad to say, it is nothing like that in this world you are living in. When you take your choice it will be final and unchangeable and all you have left to do is accept it either it is a good and considerable ending or a miserable one." He said, tilting his head while waiting for a response from June

"But some people are greedy enough to want to change their future that they could sell their very soul just to achieve that dream. So for that very purpose I sprung out to this world." Said Laplace, while turning his back from June.

After explaining it, June slowly comprehend the meaning of what he is referring and his very existence and purpose to this world.

"So you mean… You are 'that' save button." June answered with a somewhat devastated look on his face.

"Precisely!" He replied with a devilish grin on his face.

"I'll explain to you the rest when the time comes, but for now…" Laplace said while turning his head to the door of the room.

The two heard footsteps coming closer to the door and halted for a moment, then a twisting sound of the door knob was heard.

"Looks like this will be a bit bloody, don't you think?" Said Laplace looking at June with a very relaxed look, like he doesn't care if something happen.

"You think so?" June answered while attaching a suppressor on his gun.

With a 'click' the door slightly opened revealing two well-built man in suit, at the same time June released the safety of his gun.

"What are you doing here?!" one of the guy said

But before they could react, they are immediately neutralized by June the fell on the cold floor of the room.

"Nice shot, I hope it was not caught by 'that'." Laplace said after seeing June landing a pair of clean shots on both the guy on their forehead.

"Don't worry, I already send a person to cut the broadcast of the CCTVs." June replied

"You know we have an operation here in the first place." June replied, immediately pulling the guys inside the room to prevent them from spilling their blood outside then closed the door.

Inside, June searched the bodies of the dead men.

"Are they the ones who brought these bombs?" Laplace asked while staring at June as he search the men like he is looking for something that they might have hidden under their suits.

"I think they are." June replied as he stopped searching the bodies and showed Laplace a black device on his hand.

"Oh, so that's what a remote trigger looks like." Laplace replied.